I just moved up from a 245 to a 98 V70 awd.GULP!Some difference!sadly,mileage is down from 29-31 to 22mpg CDN.Further , I drove the V easier! This was only one trip but I sure hope it improves.Den in Saskatchewan (any other Canuks with V's write at efapppc@shaw.ca)

> Other than the wires, plugs & air filter what do most do to maintain decent mileage?

I hope I'm not making a bad assumption [US-based ?] but most of it should apply regardless.

In delicately attempting to "not" to start any debate over octane...
- will the car run on "regular" [it should, just fine, with better mileage]
- if your V70 won't run properly with US 87 (R+M/2), this would normally be suggestive of a failed component[s].
- "premium" gas does not mean "premium" mileage/performance/quality, it is merely a way to tell the consumer that the octane rating is higher for those engines that "require" [that's another debate] the use of higher octane fuels [and getting ripped off IMHO]. For the type of driving that most of us do [and I'm not trying to represent any one or any group], we will never experience the reported benefit[s] of burning "premium" gasoline. Save you money Mark, burn regular.

and FWIW,
- More important, [I think anyway] than plugs/wires [which you'll KNOW/FEEL when they fail] are components that you don't "feel" when there bad. One component [there are others] that immediately comes to mind is your thermostat. The dash mounted temp gauge should be fairly steady at the 1/2 way Α o'clock] position at all times after warming up...if up/down transient gauge movement is consistent with city/hwy driving, probably time to replace it. I've seen/heard/read many times [myself included] a, what I think, was a drastic ⎠+%] drop in mileage because the thermostat failed open and the engine ran "cool" causing a rich condition pretty much most of the time. To put it in perspective on my '94 850 wagon:
mileage [normal]: 22 town - 30 hwy
mileage [failed t-stat]: 18 town - 25 hwy

Regards, Alan '94 850 US 110K mi

Mark, please describe you engine more completely. Sounds like you are not in North America, where there was no 10 valve option. Still there are a few different engine/fuel induction systems out there that make a difference in milage. Also, gas milage is such a personal thing as it is really related to your driving style and road/weather conditions.

For what it's worth, I have a base S70 with a 5-speed manual tranny, I run synthetic oil and I get 18 in the city and about 27 on the highway at best. I drive kind of hard and fast, though, so I am not sure this is unreasonable. If I had a high-pressure turbo model, I would probably have no milage to speak of, so you get the picture.

As far as maintanance, I just follow the maintanance schedule in my owner's manual. I do tend to change the oil more frequently than 10K miles. This is my first fill with Mobil 1 synthetic and I plan to go about 7K with it, with petroleum-based oil I would go up to 5K miles. I used to do 75% highway, but now I only use the car for weekend trips and errands (use public transportation to get to work), which makes it get very poor milage.

Good luck.
--
Vladimir. 1998 S70. Base, 5-speed manual.

Mark,

I have a '98 S70 GLT w/about 50K miles. I run premium gas, synthetic oil and a K& N filter.

Mileage is 20-21 in town and 26.5-29 on the highway. Those numbers are comparable with the EPA notice on the window sticker for that year.

I agree that while those numbers aren't exceptional, they are respectable for a car in that size, weight and performance class.

Bryan

I get around 320 to a tank (city), 420 highway.
Mind you mine is the 5spd auto tranny.
And I think the 98 has the 4spd. I can't see it being much different in the city.

I get about 20mpg around town and about 25-26 on the highway...I have about 65k on my 98V70. I just do the basic stuff..oil chg (synthetic) every 3k, keep tyres inflated to proper pressure, changed the plugs at 60k service interval, with new air filter etc. Not real sure that that is repectable mileage but considering the car's size, weight, and hp, Im pretty happy with it.